Sports
Mali Beat Bafana To Reach Semis
Mali beat Bafana Bafana 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out to reach the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals after the teams were tied 1-1 after extra-time.
Bafana scored first during the first-half through Tokelo Rantie and Seydou Keita got the equaliser in the second half.
The hosts played very well in the first-half dictating play through the midfield and deserved to go into the break leading but Mali played well in the second half and when they scored early in the second half it seemed to knock the wind out of Bafana. Extra-time was fairly even with both sides having slight chances to score.
South Africa started the match well putting Mali under pressure, getting the crowd on their side from the start.
Bernard Parker found space in the 6th minute but his shot lacked direction and did not trouble the Mali keeper.
Seydou Keita hammered and powered in a shot from distance in the 9th minute, but it went well over the bar.
In the 13th minute Mahlangu burst into the danger area beating defenders, passing to Letsholonyane but nothing came of it.
Mahlangu turned the Mali defence with a great through ball to Tokelo Rantie, but keeper Diakite just beat Rantie to the ball.
Bafana took the lead in the 31st minute when Mahlangu broke free and slipped the ball to his left to Thuso Phala, who whipped a pass across goal for Rantie to stab home from close-range, 1-0.
Goal scorer Rantie had to be replaced by Lehlohonolo Majoro in the 44th minute due to an injury.
Majoro was put through on goal by Letsholonyane in the 55th minute but good defending and brave goalkeeping saw the chance go to waste.
An unmarked Keita scored for Mali in the 58th minute against the run of play when he got on the end of a Mahamadou Samassa cross and put his header past Khune to bring Mali level, 1-1.
Then a mistake by Gaxa four minutes later allowed Samassa a shot at goal, but Khune saved well. Then it was Mahlangu who went close in the 80th minute after a good combination with Majoro that resulted in a first time effort on goal, which was saved.
The match went into extra-time with both sides looking fatigued but giving away nothing and the match ended 1-1 after 30 minutes.
Mali kept their nerve in the penalty shoot-out as Bafana failed to score three of their four penalties while Mali did not miss. The Mali goalkeeper was the star of the shoot-out making three saves.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
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